Matthias Schuster

...When you look at his paintings, you are struck by the power that comes from the skillful combination of color and form. Matthias Schuster also infuses his work with an enormous amount of imagination and creativity, so that his expressionist paintings always tell stories as well. A self-taught artist, Schuster completed an apprenticeship as a painter and varnisher in the early 1980s; he was just as fascinated by mixing colors and creating shades as he was by sketching and painting, which he had been doing since the age of 14. Matthias Schuster took several courses with the Hofheim-based painter Herrmann Haindl. His paintings often feature animals that, thanks to the expressionist color palette and textures, appear to be mythical creatures. Very often these are birds, such as the imaginary bird that almost completely fills the large canvas, its plumage consisting of patches of color. But fish, owls, dogs, and even a snake also appear in his works, along with flowers and blossoms. Matthias Schuster likes to incorporate nature into his art, touching on spiritual aspects as well—often through structural, symbolic elements. Occasionally, geometric compositions appear; at other times, the painter gives free rein to spontaneous imaginat...

- Born in 1953
- Began making sketches and designs in 1967
- Portrait sketches in 1977
- 1981–1982: Trained under Hermann Haindl